St. Johns County School Superintendent Joe Joyner talks to students in Lisa Bazler's kindergarten class at Otis Mason Elementary School on Monday, the first day back at school for county public school students. Joyner and other school district administrators have may it a tradition to visit with teachers and students at every school on the first few days of the new school year. By PETER WILLOTT, peter.willott@staugustine.com

School numbers still a moving target, but 3.7 percent growth looks about right

Otis Mason Elementary School principal Kim Dixon and St. Johns County School Superintendent Joe Joyner talk to students in Heather Watson's fourth grade class on Monday, August 19, 2013, the first day of school for public school students. By PETER WILLOTT, peter.willott@staugustine.com

St. Johns County School Deputy Superintendent Martha Mickler visits with children in Mary Ziegenfuss second grade class at Otis Mason Elementary School on Monday, August 19, 2013, the first day of school for public school students. By PETER WILLOTT, peter.willott@staugustine.com

A nearly perfect start to the school year in St. Johns County was marred by a crash involving an empty school bus late Monday afternoon.

Up until that point, the district was enjoying a smoother-than-ever opening day. During a meeting of assistant superintendents and department heads with Superintendent Joe Joyner after schools let out on the opening day, the mood was upbeat.

Student numbers, as expected, were up and 2,000 more kids are expected to enter the district’s 34 schools over the next couple of weeks.

Daily counts of students will be held for the first 10 days of school.

“Somewhere in the second week the numbers should stabilize,” said Nicole Cubbedge, director for facilities planning and growth management. First-day figures were up 3.7 percent from the same time last year. That, she noted, was with less than a fourth of the district’s expected kindergartners in class. Kindergartners enter on a staggered schedule during the week with all in class by Friday.

The opening day figures were up more than 1,000 students over last year. St. Johns County has shown steady growth over the last six years, while other districts have seen drops in enrollment.

More than 250 new teacher hires are expected this year, said Cathy Geiger, director for instructional personnel. Some 202 have already been hired and another 52 positions are either in the pipeline or being advertised.

Transportation was “busy as normal,” Joyner said.

Tim Forson, deputy superintendent for operations, noted the transportation dispatch crew was in the office over the weekend answering phones. On Monday morning at 5 a.m. they walked in to 44 voice mails from parents with questions about school bus pickups.

Questions about drainage at schools, what cafeterias were serving, the status of portables and new entry ways at several schools came under discussion.

Joyner met other administrators during his stops to 21 of the district’s schools. By Wednesday, he said, he expects to have visited all 34.

The tour is an annual event, one Joyner always enjoys as he stops briefly at each school to greet staff, get a quick update on how the day is going and then steps into a classroom or two. He used to be able to visit all the schools during a one-day dash. But these days it’s a trek taking at least two days.

Deputy Superintendent Martha Mickler noted even class changes went smoothly at the schools she visited. “They looked like they’d been there a good while,” she said.

At Otis Mason Elementary School, Joyner sat in a small chair visiting with kindergartners.

“They shared their rules with me. … They get to make up their own rules and they had about 15. The first rule was ‘no spitting.’”

Mickler, who also stopped by Mason, smiled when she talked about one little boy in kindergarten who told her, “Come in, come in, my friends are here.”

Opening day student count: 30,503 (Up 1,007 students from last year’s opening)

High school: 9,654

Middle school: 7,425

Elementary school: 12,818 (Less than 25 percent of kindergartners are in school.)

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Changes in the classroom are huge this year as kids and teachers continue to implement common core. The teachers have worked hard through the summer; anyone who thinks teachers only work ten months is crazy. It's a full year round job. Schools have less money to implement the changes and teachers are still individually spending far more than the $250 deductible allowed on tax day in and for their classrooms and students. Yet the district is still holding up the Governor's 5.7 million dollars that was suppose to go to teachers as a $2,500 increase. Why?

Brian, after years of the governor and legislation cutting educational funding, it's time to vote him out. If he thinks a $2,500 check is going to buy him a vote he can think again.